Oak railroad sleepers

Oak sleepers act as a rail support when making railway superstructure. It is usually a square beam made of hard oak wood. It has exactly defined dimensions and it can be pressure impregnated if it is used for rails. If you want sleepers for gardens, they have slightly different features. Oak railroad ties support the rails and keep them at the exact distance, which is the so-called rail gauge. 

Oak sleepers have been used for decades 

Wooden sleepers have been used since the very beginning of railways. In our country, oak sleepers are made of quality and impregnated oak wood. Abroad, they use various woody plants. Oak sleepers without impregnation can perish easily and fast and their restoration was and still is financially demanding. Substances such as zinc sulphate, copper sulphate, phenol, creosote and others are used as impregnations. Impregnation can extend the service life of sleepers up to 20-40 years. 

Oak wood is more flexible than other materials, so it is not damaged by vibrations and is also very easy to process. Oak sleepers are mainly used at railway junctions and at turnouts. Each sleeper is marked with a nail on which the year of manufacture and the method of impregnation are marked. The shape of the nail head then indicates the material from which the sleepers are made. Oak sleepers have a round nail. 

Oak sleepers were initially connected to the rails by nails, screws were gradually used, but they are more difficult to assemble and more expensive. In the 1990s, flexible fastening methods, for example combined with a screw, began to be used. Flexible clamps marked SKL 12 and SKL 14 are used. Here the tightening interval is longer than with other types of screws, so maintenance is not so expensive.